Is that Miami game still ringing in your eyes or ears?

Due to the ACC Network still being a work in progress, we had several ways to follow Carolina’s classic win over the Hurricanes in Kenan Stadium Saturday night.

Best bet, of course, was to be there. The game sold out after the Tar Heels stunned South Carolina in Charlotte the week before. Since the capacity of Kenan has been reduced by more than 10,000, the supply-and-demand made it a very tough ticket, and to those who were it felt like the football version of a rock concert.

If you get the ACC Network on one of the carriers, the biggest difference in watching Tar Heel home games is the absence of an eye sore – a distinct lack of empty silver bleachers that glared from across the field on sunny Saturday afternoons. With every one of the new blue chair backs occupied, the stadium had a completely different look.

If neither a ticket nor a telecast was available, you may have listened to Jones Angell’s electric call on the Tar Heel Sports Network. Jones has had some great moments since succeeding the legendary Woody Durham (think Giovanni’s punt return against N.C. State), but this game may have topped his list of thrills to date.

Noticeably different in Kenan besides the first authentic full house in years was the Michel Jordan mystery quote “The Ceiling is the Roof” on the canopy over the Tar Heels home tunnel replaced by Mack Brown’s slogan of the season “Be The One.” That has many meanings – from making the play of the moment, to challenging the team to finish first, to be UNC’s next No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

At the other end, the Blue Zone still showed some empty seats since many of those privileged characters continue watching the game from inside the club areas. Here’s an idea: shut off the TVs during the game so everyone has to come out and watch in person.

New video board graphics ranged from the Simba Cam with the Lion King cartoon character asking students to do their own imitation, to SHAKE THE BRICKS on defensive third downs now accompanying the bells in the background.

Personally, I can do without the hard-hitting highlight film to start the fourth quarter because there are so many head-to-head hits, it could be called the Concussion Cam. But by all means, keep lighting the Bell Tower blue after wins. That is absolutely awesome.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: UNC and the New Redshirt Rule
The NCAA might be smartening up with some rule changes. Two rule amendments in college football could benefit Carolina and other college programs this season and they both make a lot of sense – for the good of the student-athlete. The Tar Heels will have Ohio State transfer running back Antonio Williams eligible this season, […]
Dakota's Notebook: Are ACC Defenses the Best in the Nation?
Is the ACC turning into the country’s premier conference for defense? For the longest time, the SEC has dominated the defensive side of the ball, but ACC teams might be giving them a run for their money.
LISTEN: WCHL's Ron Stutts and Blake Hodge Discuss Woody Durham's Impact on UNC Broadcasts
The Carolina family suffered a loss today when it was reported that longtime UNC broadcaster Woody Durham passed away at the age of 76. WCHL’s Ron Stutts worked closely with Woody for eight years at WCHL and then loosely for more than 20 years during the Durham’s time as a broadcaster for Tar Heel Sports […]
Gameday Guide: 2018 ACC Basketball Tournament
It’s that time of year again when ACC teams converge on Greensboro New York City for the annual ACC men’s basketball tournament. Action at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn begins on Tuesday and continues all the way until Sunday, when a champion will be crowned. How to Watch/Listen 97.9 The Hill WCHL will be live and […]
On the Porch: Dr. James Wood - Sports Around the World
This Week: James Wood is currently Professor of Latin American and modern world history at North Carolina A&T State University. He is the author of The Society of Equality: Popular Republicanism and Democracy in Santiago de Chile, 1818-1851 and the co-editor of "Problems in Modern Latin American History: Sources and Interpretations", now in its fifth edition with Rowman and Littlefield. As a Fulbright scholar for Chile in 2016 he was a visiting professor at the Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago (where he observed Chilean student activism up close).
Chansky's Notebook: Basketball Hopes
Closing the campus could be good news for the hoops season. While the national debate continues over halting in-person teaching on college campuses and if that should affect playing football, UNC’s latest move might help the prospects for beloved basketball. As of Wednesday, all undergraduate courses converted to on-line education. Students can stay in their […]
Chansky's Notebook: Coach Speak
Here is some of what Mack Brown said on Tuesday. The Tar Heels have not had a positive test in a month after 37 players, coaches and/or staff members proved positive in early July. To keep his players safe during practice, they are either wearing plastic double shields on their helmets or putting on masks […]
Art’s Angle: Gloating Rights
Carolina was on the wrong side of history Saturday in its own house. The Tar Heels’ 34-31 loss to opportunistic Appalachian State gave the Mountaineers from Boone their first major college win since the famous upset of Michigan in 2007. And their first win over an ACC school since beating Wake Forest in 2000 will […]
Chansky's Notebook: DEE-Fense (Clap, Clap)!
It’s the D, not the O, most responsible for Carolina’s fast start. Before the season I asked Lee Pace, who is the best writer of Tar Heel sports around, how he thought Mack Brown’s first team of his second tenure would do. Pace predicted Carolina would be 4-0 going into the Clemson game because a […]
Chansky's Notebook: 'Be The One'
Is that Miami game still ringing in your eyes or ears? Due to the ACC Network still being a work in progress, we had several ways to follow Carolina’s classic win over the Hurricanes in Kenan Stadium Saturday night. Best bet, of course, was to be there. The game sold out after the Tar Heels stunned South Carolina […]
›